Week 1 Lecture

Question 1

What is Thanatology?

Answer 1

the study of the process of dying, event of death in relation to grief, bereavement and coping

Question 2

What are socio-cultural factors of death?

Answer 2

• Death is universal
• Experience of death, rituals and significance is shaped by socio-cultural factors

Question 3

What are examples of non death loss?

Answer 3

• break up
• moving away from family for school
• divorce
• losing your faith

Question 4

How does awareness of mortality influence peoples lives?

Answer 4

value quality time w/ friends and family

awareness that life is finite can drive people to question what the purpose of life is

Question 5

What is grief literacy?

Answer 5

capacity to access, process and use knowledge regarding the experience of loss

Question 6

What is death literacy?

Answer 6

a set of knowledge and skills that make it possible to understand end of life

Question 7

What is mortality rate?

Answer 7

deaths divided by population

Question 8

How can grief denial affect bereaved people?

Answer 8

Grief denial can affect bereaved people as it can often lead to stigmatization. There is a lack of appropriate support because people do not know how to be supportive. Unhelpful responses often compound grief associated with loss.

Question 9

What are examples of being death literate?

Answer 9

• develop the vocabulary and skills to communicate effectively about death, loss and grief
• promoting self reflection, learning to live with intention
• learning about services and options available at end of life
• becoming aware of and making sense of social issues related to death and loss

Question 10

What are lessons you can learn from studying thanatology?

Answer 10

• while there are things we can control, there are limitations to our control over life
• life and death involve both individuals and communities
• human beings are located between vulnerability and resilience
• the study of death reveals the importance of quality in living and the human search for meaning

Question 11

What are the leading causes of death in Canada?

Answer 11

• Cancer
• Diseases of the Heart
• Accidents / Covid / Stroke

Question 12

What is the life expectancy for men vs women?

Answer 12

84 years for women
80 years for men

Question 13

Why has mortality rate declined in Canada?

Answer 13

Canadians are living longer